Jewelry Chains Tiffany, Signet Signal Slowing US Demand

Tiffany & Co cut its fiscal-year sales and profit forecasts on Thursday, blaming slowing economic growth in many countries and weakness in its home U.S. market.

The upscale jeweler's U.S. sales started softening in the fall and over the holidays amid concerns about Wall Street layoffs and then picked up in the winter.

But the company said the "soft trend" had continued and pointed to industrywide sluggishness in sales of high-end jewelry.

Similarly, rival Signet Jewelers Ltd also issued a disappointing forecast and posted quarterly results that showed slowing growth in its U.S. sales, particularly at its pricier Jared chain.

Signet, which gets about 20 percent of revenue in Britain, said a "promotional" climate there would drag down earnings.

Tiffany shares were down 7.8 percent at $56.98 in midday trading, while Signet fell 8.5 percent to $43.67.

Tiffany reported lower-than expected earnings for the first quarter ended on April 30. It cut its full-year global net sales growth forecast to a range of 7 percent to 8 percent from a prior outlook of 10 percent, pointing to "decelerating rates of economic growth in many countries."

To keep up with rising diamond and gold costs, Tiffany has raised prices in recent years. But that may discourage shoppers facing a turbulent economy, said Brian Sozzi, chief equities analyst at NBG Productions.

"Tiffany is battling a host of external headwinds and years of price increases that are causing consumer pause," he said.

Tiffany said it was not planning any "significant" price increases, citing shoppers' resistance to paying more for its inexpensive silver jewelry.

In the last few years, Tiffany has successfully and aggressively expanded, pushing further into growing markets like China, Canada and Eastern Europe. The company said its curtailed sales forecasts would not put a brake on those initiatives.

Tiffany reported net income of $81.5 million, or 64 cents per share, up slightly from $81.1 million, or 63 cents per share, a year earlier. That was 5 cents below what Wall Street analysts were expecting, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

SIGNET'S GROWTH SLOWS

Results from Signet, whose U.S. chains also include Kay Jewelers, also showed signs of a slowdown. U.S. same-store sales rose 1.2 percent in the first quarter ended on April 28, far below the torrid pace of recent periods.

Signet said the timing of Mother's Day had reduced that gain by 4.4 percentage points. But even factoring that in, the sales increase was less than the 11.1 percent of a year earlier, when it was winning market share away from its most direct rival, mid-tier jeweler Zale Corp.

The slowness was particularly marked at Jared, where comparable sales in the first quarter edged up just 0.2 percent, compared with double-digit percentage increases last year.

Signet's largest chain, the moderately priced Kay, fared better, with comparable sales up 2.9 percent. But Zale has been fighting back, and on Wednesday reported a 10.9 percent gain in the United States.

"We're not losing anything to Zales," Signet Chief Financial Officer Ron Ristau said on a call, pointing to strong Mother's Day sales that have fueled strong gains in May so far.

In Britain, which accounts for one-fifth of Signet's revenue, same-store sales are continuing to rise. But Signet has had to keep its prices in check there, and the company said the "promotional" environment in Britain would hurt its earnings by 6 cents per share.

Signet said it expected earnings per share of 78 cents to 84 cents in the current quarter, below analysts' estimates of 90 cents.